With more missions to Mars and the moon planned, researchers are forgetting the importance of the needs of people on Earth

A recent report done by the National
Research Council has found that the U.S. satellite system that
monitor's the environment and climate needs on Earth must undergo
vast upgrades or scientists may lose ability to accurately forecast
hurricanes, severe thunderstorms and winter storms. The report also
called for NASA to launch 17 new satellites to launch by 2020. NASA
and NOAA now have 25 satellites in orbit that specifically only
conduct environmental measurements and observations – however, many
of them are working past their initial expected service time.

“This is the most critical time in
human history, with the population never before so big and with
stresses growing on the Earth,” said Richard Anthes, co-chair on
the committee which wrote the report.

The National Research Council of the
National Academies also warned that by 2010, the number of
instruments on satellites for Earth-observing purposes will be cut by
around 40 percent.

The NOAA yearly budget of $1 billion
per year for environmental satellites must continue to remain available
to the organization. Spending $3 billion per year on new equipment
and satellite missions through the year 2020 would sufficiently get
Earth-observation back on the level it needs to be, according to
space officials.

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